Toilet-paper holder.



PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904.

A. E. SEXTON.

TOILET PAPER HOLDER.

APPLIUTTION FILED MAR. '7. 190s.

Z BHBBTS-SHBBT l.

N0 MODEL.

IIIIII.

Wd fr? PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904.

A. E. SEXTON.

TOILET PAPER HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB. 7. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

Patented September 13, 1904.

ATENT Price,

ARTHUR E. SEXTON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TOILET-PAPER HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letter: Patent No. 769,963, dated September 13, 1904. Application filed March 7,1903. Serial No. 146,731. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it potty concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. SEXTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los `Angeles, in the county of Los Angelesand State of California, have invented a new and useful Toilet-Paper Holder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in appliances for holding and dispensing toilet-paper, and has for its principal object to provide an improved form of holder for interfolded sheets of paper so arranged that when one sheet is withdrawn a portion of a second sheet is automatically presented in convenient position to be grasped by the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder in which the discharge slot or opening for the sheets of paper is arranged at the top or upper portion of the holder or casing and the paper automatically fed up to the discharge point and in this connection to economize space in the toilet-room by placing the holder at a point adjacent to the seat and in some cases so arrange the structure that a portion of the seat may be utilized as the top of said holder.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a device of this class a means'for elevating the body of paper within the holder toward the upper discharge slot or oriiice, and, further, to provide an elevating mechanism wherein the force exerted to raise the paper will be automatically proportioned to the weight of said paper, the elevating force being gradually decreased as the paper is consumed.

A still further object of the invention is to. provide an improved paper-holder constructed to permit of the ready introduction of fresh bundles or packages of paper.

With these and other objects in view the lnvention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size. and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacriiicing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a paperholder constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of the holder on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig.` 4 is a similar view on the line 4: 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the inner casing or holder proper detached. Fig. 6 is a view showing a portion of a holder and the substitution of a tensionspring for the counterbalancing-weight.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The device forming the subject of the present invention is designed to contain quantities of toilet-paper in sheet form, the sheets being interfolded in such manner that the foldlines of alternate sheets will be disposed in opposite directions and the two leaves formed by the folding' of each sheet shall be engaged with the corresponding leaves of the two adjacent sheets. When paper is interfolded in this manner, the withdrawal of one sheet will cause the projection of the adjacent leaf of the next succeeding sheet from the discharge slot or orifice, such leaf being presented in convenient position to be grasped and withdrawn by the user, and the sheets of paper are fed through the discharge slot or orifice in such manner that by continuing the withdrawing operation the supply may be wholly exhausted.

ln paper-holding devices of this class and of other classes heretofore in use the dischargeopenings have been arranged either in the ends, sides, or the bottom of the holder, making it necessary to place the holder on a wall or other support in such position as to occupy considerable space and, as a rule, situated in such position as to prove inconvenient to the occupant of the room, These objections are overcome by the employment of a holder in which the discharge-opening is arranged on top ofthe casing, so that the casing or holder may be placed alongside the seat or otherwise placed, so as not to prove inconvenient, or the top or other portion of the holder may in itself form a part of the seat structure.

IOO

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates the outer `casing of the holder, consisting of the bottom 11 and suitable side and end plates, and these if exposed may be formed of any ornamental material, either metal, glass, tiling, or wood, and secured to any suitable support, as to the lower portion of a seat structure, or mounted on a small standard, or one of its sides or ends may be secured to a wall or other support. The top of this outer casing is open and serves to receive the holder proper, this latter being in the form of a casing 12, having a/ top 13 formed of lany suitable material ornamented in any desired manner and provided with a longitudinally-disposed discharge-slot 111, through which the sheets of paper may be successively withdrawn.

The holder has a bottom plate and in addition to its top piece 13 is composed of a series of transversely-disposed plates 15, 16, 17,

and 18 and opposite side walls 19 and 20. The several transverse plates divide the holder into three compartments, the larger central compartment being designed for the reception of the toilet-paper land the smaller end compartments for the reception of the weights or springs for counter-balancing the weight of the paper in the central compartment.

In the central compartment is a verticallymovable paper-supporting plate 21, under which is placed a bar 22, extending diagonally across the paper-receiving chamber and having its ends extending into the two smaller chambers formed at the ends of the casing. The two transverse plates which form each end chamber are provided with openings for the reception of small spindles 23, on which are mounted sheaves 24 for the support and guidance of lieXible chains or cords 25, one end of each chain or cord being connected to an end of the diagonal cross-bar 22 and the opposite end being connected to a counterbalancing-weight 26, the descent of which forces the bar 22 and platform upwardly in order to feed the paper in the direction of the upper discharge-slot 14.

The weights 26, or they may be tensionsprings, gradually descend as the volume of paper decreases, and in order to prevent excessive pressure on the paper due to the reduction in its volume and weight I employ compensating weights 27, which are secured to the diagonal cross-bar 22 or to the platform 21. rlhese weights 27 are in the form of a plurality of plates or bars hinged or pivoted together to form a chain-like structure, one end of which is secured to the platform, while the other rests loosely on the bottom of the inner chamber. When the chamber is lilled with paper, the compensating weights are practically inactive; but as the paper is consumed and the platform ascends the weights are successively brought into action in order to keep the weight counterbalanced by the weight 26 practically the same throughout the entire movement olf-the platform. These compensating weights are brought into action one after the other as the platform moves upwardly until at the discharge of the last sheet of paper all of the weights depend from the platform or the bar.

In order to gain the best results, the opening movement of the weightsmust be limited, and this may be accomplished by the employment of an ordinary form of interlocking hinge between the several members of the weight, or small links or other flexible connections 26/ may be employed for the purpose.

The side plate 2O is pivotally connected to a liange formed by bending plate 18, and the two plates 15 are rigidly secured to each other to form a box-like structure, which is pivoted to a vertical iange 28 at the end of the casing, the two flanges being included in the preferred construction and serving to strengthen and brace the remaining portions of the casing. This construction permits the side 2O and plates 15 and 16 to be swung outwardly when the inner holder is removed from the outer casing, and thus exposes the whole of the interior of the paper-receiving chamber and permits the ready introduction of a fresh supply of paper and the interfolding, if necessary, of the lowermost sheet of the remaining paper with the topmost sheet of the fresh supply.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated a slight modiiication of the construction', in which a spring 30 takes the place of the weight 26.

The paper -holder may be conveniently locked in position, if necessary, by providing the inner holder with a small staple 31, which extends down through a small opening in the bottom of the outer casing and receives a suitable lock, as 33.

While the apparatus has been described with especial reference as to its advantages for holding toilet-paper, it will be understood that it may be employed for holding paper or sheet material of different kinds and is of especial value for use in connection with the thin sheets of paper used for wrapping oranges and other fruit and for other purposes.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. In devices for containing and dispensing interfolded paper, a support, a holder removable therefrom and provided with a top plate parallel with the plane of the paper and provided with an approximately central discharge-slot, and means for feeding the paper upward toward said top plate.

2. A paper-holder having a top dischargeopening, a counterbalancing means tending to move the paper upward toward the dischargeopening', and means for compensating for the decreasing volume of paper as the latter is consumed.

3. A paper-holder having an upper dis- IOO ISO

' into end compartments and the central comcharge -opening, a counterbalancing means tending to move the paper upward, and a compensating device for reducing the feeding pressure in proportion to the decrease in volume of the paper.

4. A paper-holder having an upper discharge-opening, a feeding means for moving the paper upward, and a compensating means for decreasing the upward pressure in proportion to the decrease in volume of the paper.

5. A paper-holder having an upper discharge-opening, means for feeding the paper upward, and a plurality of loosely-connected weights movable successively to operative position as the volume of paper decreases.

6. A paper-holder having an upper dischargeopening, a support for the paper, means for feeding the paper upward, and a plurality of pivotally-connected compensating weights connected to said support.

7. A paper-holder comprising the holder proper, partitions dividing the same into end compartments and a central paper-receiving compartment, a paper-support disposed within the central compartment and having' end portions projecting into said end compartments, counterweights in the end compartments` and flexible connections between the counterweights and the paper-support.

8. A paper-holder having an upper discharge-opening, partitions dividing the holder partment, a paper-support within the central compartment and having end portions projecting into said end compartments, and counterbalancing-weights arranged within the end compartments, flexible connections between the counterweights and the papersupport, said holder being divided into two hinged sections to permit access to the interior of the holder.

9. In a paper-holder, a casing havinga top discharge-opening, side and end members divided into two hinged sections each including one side and one end member, a transverse partition carried by each of the hinged sections to form a compartment at each end of l the casing and a central paper-receiving compartment, a paper-support within the central Yflexible connections between the ends of the support and the counterweights, and a compensating means connected to and movable with said support.

1l. A paper-holder comprisinga fixed outer casing having an open top and closed bottom, and a paper-holder removable from the casing, said paper-holder being provided with a top plate and a paper-discharge slot.

l2. A paperholder-comprising an open outer casing, a removable paper-holder of which the top plate is provided with a discharge-slot, and means carried by the holder for feeding the paper upward toward said discharge-slot.

13. The combination in a paper-holder, of the open-top outer casing, a removable paperholder having a discharge-slot in its top plate, and meansvfor locking the holder to the casing.

14. The combination in a paper-holder, of the open-top outer casing having a slot in its bottom section, a removable paper-holder provided with a paper-discharge slot 4in its top plate, a staple carried by the lower portion of the paper-holder and extending through the bottom slot, and a locking device engaging said staple.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR E. SEXTON.

Witnesses:

J. Ross CoLHoUN, C. E. DoYLE. 

